Back on Unit 4.1400

This was an early morning for us - we left the house about 6:45 am and I wasn't happy to see all that snow! But luckily the roads cleared off after about 10 minutes (once we got through Almond) and the sun eventually came around to help me wake up!
Sawyer started in the clinic with an LP procedure (shot of chemo into the spinal fluid), then a quick dose of vincristine followed by the starting of fluids to prep his kidneys for the heavy chemo coming later today. He needs to be on fluids for 6 hours before they start the methotrexate. It will take 24 hours to infuse that medication. He gets another chemo (quicker dose of some kind) tonight and a different drug tomorrow that binds to the methotrexate and helps the body get rid of it out better. He will get continual fluids through his port to flush the medication out which will take 3-5 days. We figure he'll be in the hospital until at least Thursday. This process will be repeated over 4 different weeks from now through mid-March.
We are now settled on the same unit we were in October when this all started (4th floor, off the red elevators), in the room next to the one we had last time (room #17 now). We were hoping he'd have a single room but unfortunately not - he has a double which thankfully doesn't have a second patient as of yet. We'll keep our fingers crossed that the second bed stays empty. But it means we (Mark and I) can't get as comfortable this time - no sitting on or sleeping in the second bed, no using the in-room bathroom or shower (for patients only) and not spreading out quite as much. The upside is that we won't be here as long as last time!
Sawyer has gone off with the hospital tutor already; she'll come every day about 12:30 to work with him. Mornings he will try to connect with some classes at school with his iPad.
I'll be here until Wednesday mid-day, then I'll head home to teach a couple of classes for work. Mark will come up Wednesday late afternoon and stay until Sawyer is discharged.